Now Or Never
by JustYourAverageWitch
Summary: What if Regulus Black had never died & started a brand new life in the Muggle World? What if he had a daughter who turned out to be a witch? Wouldn't she have to attend Hogwarts? Follow Lyra Black go through the trials of friendship, love, family, & war.
1. Innocence

**Chapter One: Innocence**

A young girl of eleven was bouncing around her home in the outskirts of London. Her curly, dirty blonde hair would have reached her elbows if she hadn't been so busy jumping about and tiring herself. Her hazel eyes sparkled with happiness and her small, pale hands were clutching an envelope.

"Lyra," laughed her mother, "come sit down and eat your breakfast." Maria Black had the same hair color as her daughter, but it fell straight to her shoulders instead of reaching her elbows like her daughter's. Her eyes, unlike Lyra's, were crystal blue.

"Okay, Mum," Lyra said, dropping the envelope and skipping to the dinner table.

The envelope, written in green ink, was open and the letters it contained fell out. One of the letters read:

_HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY_

_Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE_

_(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorcerer, Chief Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confederation of Wizards)_

_Dear Miss Black,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment along with your train ticket. _

_Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than August 15._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Minerva McGonagall,_

_Deputy Headmistress_

The door to the Black's house was opened and a relatively young man walked in. He looked to be about 29 and had shoulder-length black hair. His eyes were the exact same shade as Lyra's and they widened almost comically at the sight of the parchment on the ground in front of him. He bent down to pick it up and saw that it was almost exactly like his had been, with the exception of the 'Miss' and the return date.

Clinking and laughter from the dining room told him where his small family was. He walked across the quaint living room and into a colorful dining room. In the middle was a circular wooden table with three chairs of different colors surrounding it's outer side. Lyra was setting the table when her father walked in.

"Dad!" she exclaimed, running towards her father and hugging him around the waist. "Guess what? Guess what? Guess what? Guess what?" she asked excitedly.

"What?" Regulus asked, smiling at his only daughter.

"I got a letter that said that I was accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry! Just like in the stories you told me!"

"That's brilliant, Lyra," Regulus smiled, hugging his energetic daughter.

"Breakfast is ready," Maria said, coming into the room and smiling at her husband and daughter. Though she didn't know much about the Wizarding World, she knew a little bit about Hogwarts and was glad her daughter had the chance to attend; but she was also sad that her little girl was leaving.

Regulus seemed to know were his wife's thoughts were heading and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "It's alright, love," he whispered in her ear.

She smiled sadly at him before changing the conversation. "Regulus, there's a snake in the backyard. Do you think you could get rid of it?" she asked, shivering slightly at the thought of snakes.

He chuckled and nodded.

Lyra, however, seemed to have remembered something. "Daddy?" she asked, her voice low and scared. "What if I don't get into Slytherin?"

Regulus smiled at her and said, "It doesn't matter to me what House you're in. Remember, your Uncle Sirius was in Gryffindor and your cousin Nymphadora is in Hufflepuff."

She smiled at him and went to go help Maria with breakfast. Regulus sighed, thinking that his little girl was starting to grow up.

As he walked towards the backyard, he remembered all the events that had made him who he was today: husband, father, shop owner.

_Flashback: Summer, 1977_

_They had first met in the bookstore where she had worked, of all places. For them, it was love at first sight. He kept coming back, coming up with reasons to talk to her. Eventually, he had asked her out. They went on many dates that summer, though they never confessed their love for one another. However, the time soon came for him to return to Hogwarts. As far as she knew, he attended a small boarding school in Scotland for the gifted. Technically, it wasn't a big lie, as Hogwarts _was_ a boarding school in Scotland. During the time that they were separated, they both yearned for the other._

_Flashback: Winter, 1977-1978_

_He had decided to return home for the winter holidays. Everyday, though, he spent with her; he even celebrated Christmas and New Years' with her family. On New Years' Eve, just minutes before midnight, he had told her the truth about him and proposed. She was shocked, but, after he proved that he _wasn't_ joking, she accepted. They kept the engagement a secret, for the Dark Lord could not know._

_Flashback: Summer, 1998_

_They had gotten married in secret. She had tried to convince him to leave the Dark Lord, but he couldn't. He was in for life, or so he thought…_

_Flashback: Winter, 1978-1979_

_He had sneaked out of Hogwarts on the weekends to spend time with her. However, they had been quite_ forgetful_ and they would become parents in about nine months' time. Regulus knew that he had to find some way to leave the Dark Lord, to protect his family._

_Flashback: Summer, 1979_

_She looked ready to pop by the time the perfect opportunity to leave arose. He had found out about the locket and was planning on destroying it. Kreacher had wanted to save him, and found a way. He duplicated Regulus, took the locket, and Apparated the real Regulus back to his wife. The Dark Lord was none the wiser. Eventually, she had suggested a Muggle form of removing tattoos, when the pain of the Summons became too much. Though quite painful, it was entirely affective. Who would have thought that something Muggle could defeat something magical? Little Lyra Vega Black was born in early August. She had been quite small, but not alarmingly so. The little family had isolated itself in the London countryside until the Dark L- _Voldemort's_ defeat._

_End of Flashbacks_

Though the process of escaping Voldemort may have seemed easy, it was anything but. However, that's a tale for another time.

Flicking his wand at the black snake, Regulus headed inside to eat breakfast with his family, none of them knowing what lay in their futures.

**Special thanks to: Head-In-Disarray, a great beta.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize.**

**Keep a lookout for the next chapter. Coming soon!**

**Next chapter: Lyra heads to Hogwarts. Which House does she end up in? Who does she befriend? What reactions does her surname get?**

**Please vote on the poll on my profile. What House do you think Lyra should be in? If you could give me reasons, that would be great.**


	2. Daring to be Different

**Chapter Two: Daring to be Different**

September 1st had arrived almost too soon in Maria and Regulus's opinion. Lyra, however, was ecstatic about going to Hogwarts and learning about magic. On their visit to Diagon Alley, she had bought a book or two on the history of the Wizarding World and even _Quidditch Through the Ages._

Now, all of her school supplies were in her trunk along with her clothes, books, and her photo album. Her new owl, Kristie, was sleeping in her cage, her light brown feathers all in place.

Lyra ran down the hall, passing photos of her through the ages; from baby pictures, to award ceremonies, to school pictures. She entered the kitchen to find her mother making her favorite breakfast: sausages topped with ketchup, scrambled eggs, and orange juice. Her parents found sausages and ketchup an odd combination, but Lyra found it incredibly delicious.

"Are you ready to go to Hogwarts?" her father's voice asked.

Lyra smiled brightly, exclaiming, "Of course! I can't believe I'm actually going!"

Regulus laughed and helped Maria set the food down on the table. "Well, you better eat up. The train ride is a long one and you'll want to have a lot of energy."

Lyra eagerly sat down and ate. During their meal, the small family discussed favorite memories and Regulus shared stories of his Hogwarts days. However, when he mentioned the Marauders, Lyra got curious.

"Dad? Who were the 'Marauders?'" she asked, her head cocked to the side.

Regulus swallowed and replied, "They were a group of pranksters who were in the year above me. They were compromised of James Potter, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, and-" Regulus broke off, swallowed again, and continued, "- and your uncle, Sirius."

You see, dear reader, contrary to popular belief, Regulus cared very much for his brother and had tried to convince the Sorting Hat to put him in Gryffindor with him. The Hat, however, put him in Slytherin, seeing as he had "absolutely no Gryffindor traits and more Slytherin traits." Anyway, Regulus had tried to talk with his brother, but neither of them was ever alone. When he had left with Kreacher to go to the cave, he had sent a letter to his brother confessing everything - from Maria, to his past attitude, to his servitude to Voldemort and his plan to bring him down. When Regulus had read about the Potters' death and Sirius's betrayal, he was shocked, to say the least. After sleeping on it, he knew that there was no way that Sirius could've been a Death Eater. Regulus knew his brother, and his brother would rather die than betray his friends.

"Dad?"

"Regulus?"

The voices of his wife and daughter brought Regulus back to his senses.

"Dad, what happened to Uncle Sirius?" Lyra asked, curious.

"Oh, he, uh, he moved far away," Regulus said. Technically, it wasn't a lie. Sirius _was_ far away.

"Can't we write to him?"

"I'll see if I can find his address."

"Well, it's ten-thirty and you have a train to catch, Lyra," Maria said, gathering the dirty plates.

"I'll get my things!" Lyra said, jumping up and hurrying upstairs, forgetting that she was still in her bunny pajamas.

"Don't forget to change," Regulus called.

"Alright Dad!" Lyra called back, closing her bedroom door. She changed into a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt with a rainbow unicorn on it. She put on her trainers, got her wand, grabbed Kristie's cage, opened her bedroom door, grabbed her trunk, and dragged it into the living room.

While she waited for her parents to get ready, Lyra took a look at the photos that decorated the moss green walls.

There was a picture of her on the day that she was born. She had been a small, pink baby with dirty blonde hair. She had been wrapped in a light pink blanket and her mother had been holding her while her father had taken the picture.

A few spaces down was a picture that had been taken on her first birthday. Her curls had been in place and she had been wearing a pretty white dress with emerald green polka dots. On her head had been a colorful party hat and she had been in front of a small chocolate cake.

Right next to that picture was a large family portrait. Her mother had been wearing a beautiful black dress with white trimming and had been holding her in her lap. Her father had been behind both of them, his hands on her mother's shoulders. All three of them were smiling at the camera.

At the very end of memory lane was the biggest picture of all; it was her parents' wedding picture. Her mother had been wearing a plain white wedding dress, but Lyra thought that she looked radiant. Her father, who had been in a tux, had his arms around her waist and his hands on her stomach. When Lyra looked closer, she realized that her mother had a bump!

"Are you ready to go?" a voice asked in her ear. She jumped and sighed with relief when she realized that it was her mother.

"Let's go!" she exclaimed, grabbing Kristie's cage.

Maria held the handle of Lyra's trunk and took one of her husband's hands. Lyra took hold of the other and Regulus Apparated them all to Platform 9 ¾.

The hustle and bustle of the train station invisible to Muggles shocked Lyra at first, but after a few minutes, she got used to it. She saw a few confused adults and figured that they must have been Muggles, like her mum. Speaking of which, it seemed that Maria was hugging her daughter much too tightly and didn't want to let her go.

"Mum," Lyra groaned, noticing the snickers and stares from the older kids.

"Promise that you'll write _every day_," Maria whispered into her hair.

"Maria," Regulus laughed, prying Lyra from her mother's arms. "She's not leaving the continent. She'll write whenever she can. Won't you, Lyra?"

"Of course, Dad. I'll tell you what I'm learning, what House I'm in, who I've met, everything!" Lyra promised, smiling at her mother and father.

"Well, alright," Maria sighed. She hugged Lyra one more time before letting her board the train.

Regulus gave her a hug and whispered in her ear, "Don't mess with Peeves, try not to duel until you know how, and try not to get expelled."

Lyra chuckled, nodding. She did have a sort of "attraction" for trouble. Though, it was usually for pranks she had pulled. Her mother, of course, was completely unaware of this, but only because Lyra reminded Regulus of Sirius with her pranks and good humor.

The whistle sounded and all the other families moved closer to the windows to say goodbye to their children and relatives.

"Bye Mum, bye Dad!" Lyra called as she saw their faces in the thick crowd. They waved at her as the train started moving.

Lyra, a large grin on her face, sat down in an empty compartment and watched the scenery for a while.

A knock disturbed her meaningless thoughts a few minutes later, when the platform was nowhere in sight.

Turning her head, Lyra saw three boys. Two were obviously related, possibly twins. They had red-orange hair, many freckles, and a certain mischievous twinkle in their blue eyes. The third boy had dark dreadlocks, kind brown eyes, and a small grin.

"Hello there. Do you mind if we sit with you?" one of the twins asked.

"Oh, sure."

"I'm Fred Weasley, this is my twin George, and the one with the dreadlocks is our good friend Lee Jordan," the other twin, Fred, said.

"I'm Lyra Black," Lyra responded. Her response seemed to have sucked the very life out of the room.

"_Black_?" Lee asked, shocked.

"Well, Black is a pretty common name in the Muggle World."

"Are you Muggle-born?" George asked.

"Half-blood, actually. My dad's a wizard, but my mum's a muggle."

The conversation was dropped when the kind lady with the food trolley came around. Lyra bought a packet of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Fred and George muttered that their mother had packed them sandwiches, and Lee bought some Chocolate Frogs.

A few minutes' silence passed by, the only sound being the crinkling of wrappers, the soft sounds from the frogs, the shaking of the beans, and the chewing of snacks.

Eventually, Fred warned Lyra not to taste a yellow bean, but Lyra did anyway. She pulled a face as she tasted the strong taste of an extremely sour bean.

The other occupants of the compartment laughed. "I told you not to," Fred said, smirking.

Lyra, doing the mature thing, stuck her tongue out at him. This is only caused the laughter to mount. Some people in the hallway actually wondered if they had gone insane and needed to be sent to St. Mungo's.

The trip passed by in a flash. Soon, the train pulled up into the station and the four friends walked out in their robes. Lyra got separated from the twins and Lee because she had to go with the other first years in the boats.

Lyra got stuck with a snobby brunette, a shy blonde, and a curious redhead. As the boats moved, the first years (all of them) gasped and pointed at the magnificent castle, illuminated by the moonlight.

As they docked, the wind started to pick up slightly. A small plant floated into Lyra hands; a shamrock. Pocketing the little green plant with a puzzled look, Lyra followed the rest of the first years into the castle.

As they were waiting, ghosts came through the very walls. Several people screamed, disrupting the ghosts' conversation.

"Why, what are you all doing here?" said a ghost with a ruffled collar.

"Waiting to be Sorted," someone called out.

The door opened and a stern-looking woman with cat-like green eyes and a black bun stepped into the room. "Follow me," was all she said, turning around and leaving the room.

The first years followed her out and into a set of enormous double doors. There were gasps and sighs as, one by one, the first years noticed the ceiling.

"When I call your name, come up and put on the Hat," the woman, Professor McGonagall, said, just as the tear closest to where a mouth would've been opened.

"_Oh, you might not believe it…"_

Lyra wasn't listening to the Sorting Hat's song; she was looking around the room, studying her fellow students and professors.

Before she knew it, Professor McGonagall had called, "Black, Lyra."

Lyra took a deep breath and walked up to the three-legged stool. The black fabric of the Hat slid past the top of her head, covering her eyes.

"_Ah, another Black, I see. This is most difficult,"_ a little voice coming from inside the Hat whispered.

"_Uh, hello," _she whispered quietly.

"_Now, where to place you, hmm? Your whole family has been in Slytherin…"_

"_That's not true. My Uncle Sirius was in Gryffindor and my cousin Nymphadora is in Hufflepuff," _Lyra whispered, correcting the Hat. _"Besides, I want to be different. I've always been different, so why stop now?" _she added even more quietly.

"_Better be…_GRYFFINDOR!" The last part was shouted to the entire Great Hall. Applause, cheering, and whistling rung from the Gryffindor table, while the Slytherins looked somewhat angry, which was rather confusing to Lyra.

**Special Thanks To: Head-in-Disarray, a wonderful beta and FF pal; everyone who story alerted or favorited this story.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing that you recognize.**

**The next chapter will be up real soon. Feel free to suggest things or just say "This is great."**

**Next chapter: Now that Lyra has met the Weasley twins and Lee, who knows what kind of trouble they might get into. What prank(s) will they play? How many detentions will they get? Stay tuned to find out!**


	3. Trouble Is

**Chapter Three: Trouble Is**

The following weeks passed quickly. Thanks to Fred and George, Lyra never got lost after a rather embarrassing accident that involved Peeves, Snape, and a beaver. Let's just say that Snape had given Lyra week's worth of detentions, Gryffindor had lost one hundred points, and Snape was considered the "beaver of the dungeons" instead of the bat for a few days.

Just as Lyra was exiting her last class on Friday, Fred, George, and Lee appeared from behind a tapestry. Her new friend, Katie Bell, was startled and began asking where they had come from.

The trio ignored her questioning and instead began pulling them down the hallway.

"Where are we going?" Lyra asked, starting to get out of breath.

"Common Room," was all she could get out of them.

"Why?" Katie asked.

"Supplies."

"Oh, could you just answer in complete sentences!" Lyra snapped.

"We are so very sorry, Lyra. We are going to the Common Room to get supplies for a prank," the three pranksters said in identical, robotic voices.

Lyra glared at them as they entered the Common Room via the portrait of the Fat Lady.

"I'm just, uh, going to go work on some, um, homework," Katie said before escaping up the girls' staircase.

"Thank you _so_ much for scaring her away!" Lyra said to her best friends sarcastically.

"You're welcome," Lee replied, grinning.

"Now, you just stay here," the twins ordered before Hogwarts's trio of pranksters ran up the boys' staircase.

Lyra sighed and sat down on a couch where she had a perfect view of the Portrait Hole and the boys' staircase.

After a few minutes, the boys came down holding a cardboard box the size of _Hogwarts, A History_!

"Who are we pranking?" Lyra asked as the left Gryffindor Tower and went towards the staircases.

"The beaver of the dungeons," the twins whispered, looking around at any nearby people suspiciously.

"WHAT?"

"Shh!"

"Sorry," Lyra whispered, "But are you two bloody mental?"

The twins looked at each other and actually _thought_ about it! After a few seconds in which they had communicated silently in their slightly creepy yet really cool twin way, they nodded.

"What's the prank, anyway?" she sighed, exasperated and still tired from the run from the Charms corridor to Gryffindor Tower.

"Well, what if-" one started.

"Whenever Snape started talking-" the other continued.

"He farted after every word!" they finished together.

A smile tugged at the corner of Lyra's lips as she nodded.

The twins beamed and started to drag Lyra down to the dungeons.

NONNONNONNON

After a few hours of work, the twins and Lyra had managed to turn Snape's hangover potion into a farting potion. The best thing was that both potions looked the same, smelled the same, and tasted the same!

With accomplished grins, the trio made their escape to Gryffindor Tower, making sure that they didn't leave any evidence.

"I can't wait until Potions tomorrow!" Lyra laughed. "Wow. I can't believe that I just said that!"

"Neither can-" Fred (she thought) started.

"We, Lyra!" George (maybe) finished.

"Still, none of my old pranks have filled me with so much satisfaction."

"Ah, you have much to learn," George (she was almost certain) said wisely.

"Yes, revenge is a dish best served cold," Fred (it had to be) nodded.

Lyra giggled. "You two are the weirdest people that I've ever met!" she concluded.

"Have you met Dumbledore?"

"Or our younger brother Ron?"

"Or Filch?"

"Or our older brother Percy?"

There was a pause before the three erupted in laughter.

NONNONNONNON

The rest of first year was pretty much uneventful. The four pranksters (Fred, George, Lee, and Lyra) had pulled quite a few pranks and had gotten into detention a few times. Lyra went home for the Christmas holidays and almost didn't go back because her mother had missed her too much.

Lyra passed her exams (a few just barely) and couldn't wait for her second year at Hogwarts.

**Special Thanks To: Head-in-Disarray, an amazing Beta and friend; all the reviewers, favoriters, and alerters.  
**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing that you recognize.**

**The next chapter will be up real soon. Feel free to suggest things or just say "This is great."**

**Next chapter: So, first year is over...But what happens when the Weasley twins come over during the summer? What type of mischief will they get into?  
**


End file.
